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BigClay

BigClay

Knower of useless ZJ things
Joined
Sep 24, 2008
Location
Winston-Salem
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I lifted my jeep this weekend (actually I should say that JC did and I just did what he told me to do! :lol:); anyway, I took it to a shop to get it aligned right afterwards and this is how the steering wheel looked when I picked it up. The guy gave me some line that they can't correct the steering wheel without taking it off and putting it back on. I was tired and just ready to get home, so I said OK. Then the more I think about it the more I think he blew me off b/c they were too lazy to fix it. I paid for the alignment (about $100) and I feel I got ripped off. What do you guys think?
 
I would have made them fix it. You got ripped.
They don't have to remove the steering wheel to correct it.
I wouldn't have paid for shit til it was right.
 
Yeah, in hind sight I should have demanded, but it was 6pm yesterday after a full weekend of wrenching I was ready to go relax. I just wanted to make sure that is something they should have fixed.
 
They can detach the steering shaft from the steering box and rotate the steering wheel then re-attach it. You could do it yourself if you wanted, it isn't hard.
 
Since I paid them, I am going to make them do it; if they mess up again, I will do it myself.
 
LOL...dude that is really funny but really easy to fix. They are just slacking off!! I installed new steering linkage on my jeep and it's no biggie. But yeah I would make them do it.
 
Just as an FYI to people in Greensboro, the alignment was from Merchants on Battleground. I have used them for little things like this for a few years now, but after they fix this, I am not sure I will ever go back to them.
 
That is a good idea, I will wait til I get home with the receipt and I can get all the details off of it.
 
Also how did you manage to get the sweet custom red interior? :D
 
spraypaintman said:
Also how did you manage to get the sweet custom red interior? :D
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:flipoff2: Yeah, that is my most favorite thing about the jeep (sarcasm!). What can I say I bought it in 1999 with limited funds and I had to take what I could find.
 
I've lifted a grand 6" before, and was able to get the wheel centered and everything 'ok' as far as alignment goes. This was with stock I6 steering setup. Also check to make sure that the truck turns fully left and right. If you screw it up, it is possible to make tha alignment with the steering box not in the center of it's travel, basically, as if you turned the wheel one revolutiuon.

The red interior is sweet. I saw one at a junkyard a few weeks ago and did a double take. Wish I had the cash and motivation to buy the wreck from the yard to swap interiors.


I'd demand my money back, Adjusting the draglink on the inverted y setup is too easy. If they won't give on the $$, take it to another shop, and bill and/or sue in small claims court the shop that F'd up the alignment. This is ridiculous that someone would let a vehicle leave their shop in that condition. Shows a complete lack of pride in the work that they do.
 
Chris_M said:
I've lifted a grand 6" before, and was able to get the wheel centered and everything 'ok' as far as alignment goes. This was with stock I6 steering setup. Also check to make sure that the truck turns fully left and right. If you screw it up, it is possible to make tha alignment with the steering box not in the center of it's travel, basically, as if you turned the wheel one revolutiuon.
The red interior is sweet. I saw one at a junkyard a few weeks ago and did a double take. Wish I had the cash and motivation to buy the wreck from the yard to swap interiors.
I'd demand my money back, Adjusting the draglink on the inverted y setup is too easy. If they won't give on the $$, take it to another shop, and bill and/or sue in small claims court the shop that F'd up the alignment. This is ridiculous that someone would let a vehicle leave their shop in that condition. Shows a complete lack of pride in the work that they do.
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Well............I would say I told you so, but............Sunday afternoon, guy was ready to go home! :lol:

Bring it back, I stand behind my guarantee, unlike some shops :driver:
 
Makes things kinda difficult with the cruise control and the radio dials on the rear of the steering wheel. Thats piss poor work. Hope you got dudes name who did the service and needs to be reprimanded!
 
So, I do have to ask - what did you guys do that led the wheel to be off so much? Replace the steering box?
After a weekend at Rausch Creek last Oct, my steering wheel looked exactly like that :lol: :lol: :lol:
I just left in that way, enjoying reading "atoyot".

A few weeks ago I replaced the steering gearbox... putting the new one on I knew I wouldn't get it lined up perfectly but tried my best.
just got an alignment yesterday - guy came outside and asked, "Hey did you replace the gearbox recently? B/c it's off a few teeth." lol he tried and tried but couldn't get it set to were camber was right and teh wheel was straight. I knew that one was my fault.
So now it sits at about 45 deg off... but on mine at least it's a simple matter of pulling teh wheel and realigning it - the shaft is radially symetrical and so is the wheel spline connection... that's easier that pulling the whole thing out again.

Oh and FWIW, I went to Firestone... they have a "lifetiem alignment" deal for $150, and a $10 off coupon online... as many alignment as often as you want as long as you own teh car. Having IFS, I figure I'll use that sucker easily 2x per year.
 
what a crock of :poop:, you got screwed. You don't take the steering wheel off, you shorten/lengthen the drag link. On my XJ, I had an alignment done ($60) after putting a lift on, brought it to Oak Hollow Tire on 68, south of Wendover. I asked if they would center the wheel, they said no problem. I know they adjusted the draglink because I could see pipe wrench marks on it afterwards.
 
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Adjusting this one piece is all it takes to correctly center the wheel. Loosen two nuts, turn with pipe wrench, tighten two nuts, and done.

I'm gonna assume when they 'aligned' it, they left the draglink at whatever length is was before the lift, and just adjusted the tierod to correct the toe-in. Did you use adjustable arms? and was the caster checked, and/or adjusted? The ZJ caster is adjusted with a cam bolt at the axle end of the lower control arm. I had a shop tell me 'you can't adjust the caster on a solid axle truck, sorry, we can't help you.' This was After they tried to chrge me $75 for an alignment on a ZJ with only a BB. I raised hell, and asked if i needed to show them how to do their job for them. SO, I didn't pay a damn thing, and have been doing my own aligments on my jeep ever since.
 
FWIW, Clay knows what needs to be done and how to do it! Thanks to everyone for all the tech :rolleyes:

If you read the initial post, his question is "I feel like I got ripped, what do you guys think?"
 
JC said:
Well............I would say I told you so, but............Sunday afternoon, guy was ready to go home! :lol:
Bring it back, I stand behind my guarantee, unlike some shops :driver:
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Yep you called it, I should have listened and waited until sometime this week, but I was just anxious to have everything done. Thanks again for your help this weekend! :beer:

y2kcrawler said:
Makes things kinda difficult with the cruise control and the radio dials on the rear of the steering wheel. Thats piss poor work. Hope you got dudes name who did the service and needs to be reprimanded!
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I guess the only good thing is my jeep does not have the radio controls on the steering wheel, just the cruise. The hardest part is seeing the speedo and that the turn signals don't 'click' off after you turn.

RatLabGuy said:
So, I do have to ask - what did you guys do that led the wheel to be off so much? Replace the steering box?
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We just installed a RE 3.5" lift and replaced all of the control arms, and the front track bar. When we got done the steering wheel was about 90 degrees off, then after the "alignment" it was a full 180 degrees off.

JC said:
FWIW, Clay knows what needs to be done and how to do it! Thanks to everyone for all the tech :rolleyes:
If you read the initial post, his question is "I feel like I got ripped, what do you guys think?"
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Yeah, once I get the time one night this week I am going to head back over there with my receipt in hand.

FWIW, I called over to that Merchants yesterday and asked (a different guy than was there on SUnday) "I just lifted my Grand and my steering wheel is off, will an alignment fix that" and he said "of course, when would you like to come in" then I said "actually I was there yesterday..." and I told him the whole story and he was like uhhhhh, just bring it back in and we will take care of it. So hopefully this time the guy will take some pride in his work.
 
BigClay said:
Just as an FYI to people in Greensboro, the alignment was from Merchants on Battleground.
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that's your problem! lol i used to have about 4 friends that worked up there. i'd go up there and get tires changed for free and all that junk. just quick in/out stuff. now, i don't know who's up there and everytime i stop by they blow smoke about "oh our mechanic is gone for the day and we have x amount of tickets left, we can get you tomorrow". :shaking:
 
JeepURE said:
that's your problem! lol i used to have about 4 friends that worked up there. i'd go up there and get tires changed for free and all that junk. just quick in/out stuff. now, i don't know who's up there and everytime i stop by they blow smoke about "oh our mechanic is gone for the day and we have x amount of tickets left, we can get you tomorrow". :shaking:
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You will not beleive this but I just called up there, and was hoping to get an appointment in there right after work today, and Reggie (the same guy that was there on Sunday) told me that he only had one technician today and they had a lot of tickets for after 5!:confused: I guess that is a typical blow off line there. So I went ahead and made an appointment for Thursday right after work.
 
I would'nt waist my time with em again money lost no biggie!!!, just learn to fix it yourself man best way to get stuff done on a jeep atleast you will know how to do it next time all ya gotta do is a little trial and error!!!
 
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